Historic Sussex Hotels
How Docex360 supports hotel guest experience through proactive and carefully-considered managed IT solutions, delivered with a friendly approach.
Historic Sussex Hotels is a privately owned collection of three exceptional hotels and a charming 17th century pub with rooms. Comprising hotels, spas and restaurants with
carefully considered additions and renovations, the portfolio is continuously evolving to meet and exceed changing demands from guests, which brings its own IT infrastructure challenges.
The business is firmly rooted in family, led by Joint Managing Directors, Pontus and Miranda Carminger, who are supported by both their own family and a close management team. Together, they combine skills, experience, diversity and enthusiasm for hospitality, extending the family feel to ensure a memorable customer experience for every guest.
Crucial to their success, however, is the team’s willingness to complement their own apabilities by recognising the areas in which they need external support. This includes IT systems, making sure that the four individual venues have the modern infrastructure they need to operate effectively exceed guest expectations and capitalise on new opportunities in an increasingly digital world.
In October 2023, after being unsatisfied with their existing IT partner for a number of years, Historic Sussex Hotels made a shortlist of IT service providers and opted for Docex360, impressed by the personality and likeability of our team.
At that point, we worked closely with the company’s in-house IT Manager, providing technical support and additional resources to enhance systems, prevent downtime and maintain service across all venues. When the IT Manager left the business, Historic Sussex Hotels chose not to replace him, instead placing their trust in a fully outsourced managed solution from Docex360.
Miranda Carminger, Joint Managing Director, said: “We were confident that with a better, more proactive IT partner in place, we could hand complete responsibility over to Docex360 and make an overall cost saving by not having to recruit internally. Overall, that decision has undoubtedly been the right one.”
Today, we manage all IT services for Historic Sussex Hotels including network service infrastructure in the cloud, internet provision into all four historic properties, and the management of phone systems, which were added most recently to the overall solution.
Stringent security measures include a firewall into all locations, protection for all incoming emails, as well as anti-virus protection on all devices, using zero trust methodology to identify any potential threats and search the network for vulnerabilities. All information is stored in a secure location in accordance with best practice guidelines and data security requirements.
Our expert team is also available for IT support via a telephone support line when required, including out of hours.
Docex360 continues to overcome the inevitable challenges of IT infrastructure in historic buildings, working closely with Maintenance Managers and Venue Managers to make sure guests’ expectations are met.
Our team is well experienced at working in listed and heritage buildings and we’ve worked together with Historic Sussex Hotels to set the needs of each location. This includes identifying where we can and can’t run cable without impacting coverage to make sure guests get the service they need in every room, but also where we can take advantage of existing infrastructure.
In historic buildings, it’s often about getting the best from the infrastructure that’s already in place, to maximise the customer’s investment. By working creatively, we’ve been able to integrate legacy equipment such as analogue phone systems with new equipment to find the most cost-effective solution for the business.
The success of the partnership is also due in part to the shared values of the two businesses, with Docex360 prioritising relationships alongside technical expertise and proactive support.
Miranda Carminger adds: “It’s very important for us to work with friendly people and companies that offer an extension of our own family values. When we speak to Docex360, everybody is well liked. We get on with the team, but more than that they all know our system too.”
“It doesn’t matter who picks up the phone, they know where we are and how to solve the problem without having to wait days for somebody else to respond. That matters in hospitality, where we can’t afford to be without IT or telephone systems, even in individual rooms.”
“Comparing Docex360 to our previous partner is like apples and pears – they just make everything as seamless as possible. They are responsive, communicative and proactive – always reporting into my teams and often finding faults before we even know about it. By advising us on foreseeable problems, their expertise puts us in a better position for the future.”
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